it must be the caffeine
by cyanoscarlet
Summary: "If it's any consolation, I only got hot water from this thing," Victor admits, tapping a hand over the button for the 3-in-1 coffee. "It cost a quarter, too." Katsuki lets out a sound between a snort and a laugh. "Wow, that sucks, Doc." Let it be known that The Doctor Is In (Love). [hospital AU]


_Based off the YOI Medical AU by chantedeer and castihalo on Tumblr! Go see it :)_

* * *

Victor hums an old tune as he ambles along the quiet corridor, the magenta-colored stethoscope around his neck slightly bouncing off his chest with every light step. He doesn't have any scheduled operations until after lunch, but there isn't any harm in clocking in a bit earlier than usual. The nurses usually don't mind him hanging around the pediatric surgical ward as often as he does, only occasionally sparing him fleeting glances whenever he passes the nurses' station.

And lingers a bit longer than usual to send a playful wink in Nurse Katsuki's direction. And laughs as the beautiful, bespectacled Japanese squirms in the corner like a schoolgirl, a telltale deep, crimson blush coloring his whole face.

They never did understand why he enjoys teasing the cute nurse to oblivion so much, but then again, they usually don't mind. (At least, Nurse Crispino doesn't. Though very perceptive, she is pretty subtle about these kinds of things. But that's a story for another day.)

.

(Also, the above isn't today's story.)

.

Today, Dr. Nikiforov finds himself next in line to a student nurse waiting for the vending machine to dispense her drink. He'd forgotten his wallet, of all things, on the way to the café downstairs, so he now has to settle for cheap, instant coffee with the measly coins left in his pocket.

The student nurse retrieves her cold drink and shyly moves away from the machine, her face as flushed as her jacket is blue. Victor nods and smiles warmly in her direction, and she scurries away at once, muffling a squeak into the tall cup with beverage. His mind briefly conjures up an image of Nurse Katsuki doing the exact same thing as he inserts a quarter into the coin slot and selects the standard 3-in-1 brew.

Victor shifts his footing as the machine dispenses his coffee. It beeps after a few moments, and he pulls out the small, warm cup and brings it to his lips.

It tastes exactly like hot water.

The young surgeon splutters over his wasted drink, trails of scalding liquid dribbling down his chin. He downs the rest of the contents and chucks the paper cup into the adjacent waste basket, before fishing for another quarter from his pocket. He is stopped from inserting the coin into the machine, however, when all the buttons suddenly turn an angry red, and the LED screen displays some system message in Japanese.

Today, he decides, isn't his lucky day.

"Ohh," a voice to his left sighs in disappointment, "it ran out again, huh."

Victor raises his head and finds Nurse Katsuki behind him, studying the message over his own crouched form. The young nurse frowns slightly before taking a couple of steps back. "This one runs out the fastest among all the vending machines in the hospital, actually."

The older man hums in amusement at this fact. "Yet you still came to try your luck?"

"I'm always lucky with this unit, thank you very much," Katsuki huffs indignantly, puffing his rosy cheeks. He maintains the accusing glare until his whole face turns red. "... Just not today, I guess."

Victor chuckles as the nurse exhales dejectedly, his brown eyes downcast. "If it's any consolation, I only got hot water from this thing," he admits, tapping a hand over the button for the 3-in-1 coffee. "It cost a quarter, too."

Katsuki lets out a sound between a snort and a laugh. "Wow, that sucks, Doc."

 _Boy, does it_ ever _._

Unsurprisingly, it doesn't sting as much, coming from this angel in cartoon poodle scrubs.

He must have zoned out right there and then, because the next thing he actually registers is the tail-end of whatever it is Katsuki was talking about, something about the sixth floor of some adjacent building.

"- Would you like me to accompany you?"

Still at a complete loss, Victor nods dazedly and allows the bespectacled nurse to lead the way. He isn't sure if Katsuki has noticed the obvious spring in his step, or the stupidly large grin that must be on his face right now, but the doctor found that he wouldn't have minded, either way. The view from behind is wonderful, and he relishes every moment of it.

.

The "sixth floor," as it turns out, is the top floor of the old hospital building, recently refurbished to serve as an annex to the medical school. It houses additional classrooms and laboratories for the Nursing and Rehabilitation Colleges, and has connecting bridges to both the main school building and the new hospital wing.

It also has a functioning vending machine, right beside the door to the emergency staircase.

How had Victor not _known_ of this hidden gem?

Beaming, the doctor places the already-warmed quarter in his hand into the coin slot and orders the same drink as earlier. He hums a short victory theme as the cup slowly fills with brown liquid instead of hot water.

Katsuki crouches forward beside him as he watches the machine do its work. He retrieves the drink a few moments later and straightens himself, his forehead accidentally colliding with the nurse's as he did. Both immediately right themselves at the sudden painful contact, rubbing at their sore spots.

"Sorry, Doc!" Katsuki apologizes first, looking away in embarrassment. The nurse's ears slowly turn red beneath his messy, black hair, and Victor picks up on the soft, breathy noises he is making while his back is turned.

"No, don't be," he mumbles in reply, absently cradling the bell of his stethoscope, while feeling his heart rate go faster and his whole face flush with heat. _Damn, he's cute._

He regards the cup of hot coffee currently in his other hand for a moment, before looking back at Katsuki. "Yuuri?"

The younger man stands in full attention at once, his brown eyes turning as wide as saucers.

"No, _wait_. Um. I mean-" Victor mentally fumbles, attempting to correct himself. _Shit._

They both stare at each other, their awkward nonexistent attempts at restarting any conversation punctuated by Katsuki's hyperventilating and Victor's own gasping. He is surprised the nurse hasn't fainted on the spot yet. (He would have loved to take care of the precious thing himself, if those adorable doe's eyes haven't killed him yet.)

(He knows who he's nominating for the Mr. Syncope Award this year. _Mmm. Yes._ )

Once again, it's Katsuki who breaks the silence between them. "Um, Doc?"

Victor perks up at hearing the nurse address him, ignoring the thready pulse already thrumming beneath his wrist. "Yes?"

Katsuki wrings his hands as he slowly looks the doctor straight in the eyes. "I-It's okay. Um. You may call me Yuuri, Doc," he stammers. "I-I don't mind."

Victor almost drops the paper cup, his hand suddenly shaking. He swears it's the caffeine.

Even though he hasn't consumed it yet. (He knows.)

(Who is he kidding?)

He can't believe his luck.

So instead, he lets his brainstem take over, smiling freely on autopilot like a young idiot. "Yuuri it is, then," he babbles loudly, not caring if others in the hallway might hear it. "Call me Victor! We're coffee buddies now!"

 _Oh God_ , now he doesn't even know what he's saying. (He does.)

Nurse Katsuki - _Yuuri_ \- is practically shaking in his poodle scrubs. He might be crying. _Okay, wait. Backtrack._

Feigning a slight shiver in his white coat, Victor instinctively raises the cup of coffee towards the trembling nurse's direction. "Here, Yuuri, you can have this," he offers. "It'll warm you up."

Yuuri blinks twice in confusion, then his eyes widen in surprise. "N-No thanks, Doc! I-I mean, I can pay!" he sputters, searching his pockets for a quarter to pay the surgeon with. He manages to find one and is about to hand it over, when Victor closes his hand around the other man's with his own free one.

"No, seriously, it's okay," he insists, still holding up the proffered cup. "It's my treat, Yuuri. As thanks for showing me this place."

 _And for something else entirely, as well,_ he thinks, but does not say. (He swears he eventually will.)

Yuuri looks at him blankly, as if processing what he had just heard. After deeming it a sufficient reason enough, the nurse accepts the proffered cup of coffee with both hands. "If you don't mind, then," he mumbles. "... Thanks, Victor."

Victor grins like he's won the grand lottery thrice over. Hearing his name on this beautiful Japanese nurse's lips is the best thing to ever happen to him - even better than when he'd passed his subspecialty boards. (And _those_ were damned difficult.)

"Of course!" he beams (and _ahhh, Yuuri is smiling!_ ), then turns back to the vending machine to get himself a coffee, as well. The iced mocha costs two quarters.

It tastes exactly like iced water with ice.

The machine goes out-of-service at exactly the same time. His luck has run out, it seems.

Yuuri nearly snorts on his coffee, while Victor laughs. He found that he doesn't mind anything at all, so long as this angel is by his side.

.

(They find out later from the hospital management that all the vending machines will be permanently pulled out in a fortnight.

At least it now gives Victor an excuse to ask Yuuri out on a Starbucks date. But that's a story for another day.)


End file.
